Protector
by Gwydion
Summary: When the team splits up to find two mutagen canisters, the mission goes awry as Raph and Mikey run into more trouble than they bargained for. Raph's only thought is to protect his family, but there are some problems you shouldn't try to take on alone. (Takes place before the 2012 episode Fungus Humongous.)
1. Like a Walk in the Park

Disclaimer: I do not own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

**Chapter 1: Like a Walk in the Park**

"Mikey?"

The freckled turtle jumped at the sound of his name and let out a yelp. He quickly turned toward the voice, hiding a small container behind his back.

"Leo!" he said as he attempted to hide how nervous he suddenly felt with a strained smile. His oldest brother was staring at him dubiously. "Fancy meeting you here!"

Leonardo crossed his arms and gave Michelangelo a withering look. Mikey seemed to squirm under his gaze, his eyes darting toward the partially open door Leo had just walked through.

"Well, this is my room," he replied flatly. Mikey was indeed standing in the middle of his small bedroom. He had entered to find his youngest brother suspiciously hovering over his bed with something in his hands. If there was one individual you did not want to find in such a position, it was "Dr. Prankenstein". Leo could only hope that he had caught the mischievous turtle before he had a chance to carry out whatever scheme he'd come up with this time. "Care to explain what you're doing in here?"

"Nope!" replied Mikey as he slowly tried to shuffle over to the doorway. "But you look tired. It was an awfully long day of training, after all. So I'll just go out, watch some TV, play some games, and leave you alone for a while. Bye!"

Before he could rush past Leo and out of the cramped room, the older turtle grabbed him by the shell.

"Not so fast," said Leo sternly.

Mikey briefly flailed his legs in a futile attempt to escape before realizing it was useless. He'd been caught, and he knew there was no escaping his big brother. Changing his approach, he tried to look as innocent as possible and turned his wide, baby blue eyes toward his sibling. "I was just -"

But Leo cut him off, well aware of Mikey's diversion tactics, "Save it. What were you doing in my room? And what's that you're carrying?" He pointed to the small container as Mikey clutched it tighter to his chest.

The nervous smile returned to the young turtle's face as his eyes darted away from Leo's intense stare. "What, this? It's just, uh... it's, um, you know..."

"Are you kidding me, Mikey!?" rang Donatello's voice suddenly through the lair.

Surprised, Leo turned toward Donnie's room as muffled curses could be heard from within. Mikey did not miss what he knew would be his only chance at escape. In the blink of an eye, he wiggled out of Leo's grasp and quickly darted through the hall toward the common area.

"Ha ha! Better luck next time, Leo!" he crowed. Realizing he was busted anyway, he tossed the container to his confused former captor and made his way toward the kitchen. Waltzing in with a victory dance, he noticed Raphael sitting at the table with a glass of water and some leftover pizza. The older turtle eyed him curiously as Leonardo's shouts soon echoed through the lair as well, causing quite the evil grin to light up Mikey's face.

"I don't wanna know," said Raph as he held up a hand to his baby brother who had plopped onto the seat across from him. As the newcomer glanced down at his sibling's plate, Raph not so discreetly used his other hand to protect his snack. "But I swear, if you're here to try whatever it is on me, I'm gonna wipe that stupid smirk off your face."

Mikey leaned forward on his stool, placing his elbows on the table and resting his head in his hands. His eyes never left his brother's slice of pizza. "Relax, bro. Leo caught me before I could make it to your room. Now I'll have to come up with something special just for you."

Raphael took a bite of his pizza and rolled his eyes as Mikey's devilish grin grew wider. Before he could swallow and retort, however, in stomped Donatello, Leonardo close on his heels. Donnie wasn't always successful in his attempts to appear intimidating, but it was hard to ignore the downright pissed off stare he was currently aiming at Michelangelo. Or the smell that followed him into the room.

"Phew! Geez, Donnie, some of us are trying to breathe here," Raph said loudly. He covered his nostrils and proceeded to try and wave away the air dramatically, relishing Donnie's darkening frown as his hands balled into tight fists. Raph glanced at Mikey who was squirming in his seat, trying not to laugh. While he hated being on the receiving end, Raph had to admit that his little brother's pranks could produce some highly amusing results.

"Would you care to explain how leaving rotten eggs in my room is supposed to be funny?" said Donnie shortly.

With a genuinely confused look, Mikey answered, "Does that really need an explanation?" Seeing Leo folding his arms with a dangerous expression, the young turtle quickly continued, "Come on, guys! I happen to find three perfectly good rotten eggs, and you expect me to just leave them there? I can't just waste them like that!"

Donnie groaned loudly as he grasped his head in frustration. "Mikey, if the eggs were rotten that means they were already 'wasted'! You could have just thrown them out, but no! You had to hide them in our rooms causing one of us to find one and spill it all over ourselves!"

"Well, that certainly explains why you smell like the inside of a dumpster," interrupted Raph with a smirk. That earned him another glare from Donnie - as well as a snort from Mikey - which he calmly ignored as he bit off more of his pizza.

"Raph, stay out of this," said Leo sternly, putting his hands on his hips. "The only reason you aren't pummeling Mikey right now is because you haven't found one in your room yet. I was lucky I knew the container was from Mikey so I was careful when opening it, but Donnie's room is going to smell awful for a week."

"Aw, lighten up, dudes. I was just having some fun," said the youngest turtle innocently. Even he, however, could see that neither of the two brothers he'd managed to prank were finding the situation particularly amusing. With all of their attention now back on him, he smiled nervously and quickly added, "I'll help him clean up."

"'Help' me clean up?" repeated Donnie, "I don't think there's any 'help' about it; you can handle that by yourself. In fact -"

He was unable to finish his rant, though, as he was interrupted by the whirring and clicking sounds of his mutagen tracker coming to life. Surprised by the sudden noise, he pulled it from his belt, his brothers watching curiously.

"Another mutagen canister?" asked Leo.

"Looks like it," replied Donnie solemnly. Normally he'd jump at the chance to get more mutagen off the streets and into his lab so he could work on creating a retromutagen. Right now, however, all he wanted was a long shower. He sighed, "At least it doesn't appear to be too far."

"Alright," said Leonardo, slipping into leader mode, "We'll grab the ooze, head back here, and while Donnie takes a shower, Mikey, you can clean his room."

"Aww..." groaned Michelangelo without protest, shoulders slumped.

"Why don't we let Donnie go on ahead. That way we can just smell our way to it," Raph taunted. Donatello rolled his eyes but said nothing, finally deciding it best to simply ignore his older brother. Instead he quietly made his way toward the kitchen's exit so he could grab his staff before they headed above ground.

"That's enough, Raph," warned Leo as he turned to leave as well, "Keep it up and I'll put that third egg in your room. And I won't leave it in a container."

Always happy to not be the only one in trouble, Mikey laughed, but it was cut short by a sharp whack to his head. "Ow!" he cried as Raph roughly pushed past him and out the doorway. Mikey's tongue shot out in a childish display of defiance, but his attention was quickly redirected to Raph's half eaten slice of pizza. He wasted no time snatching it up and practically inhaling it.

"Mmm!" he moaned happily as he licked his lips, "Bacon, avocado, and garlic - gotta remember that for next time." It didn't take long for his bliss to wear off, though, as he realized he could hear the Shellraiser's engine in the distance. Mikey bounded out of the kitchen.

"Hey, guys! Wait for me!"

* * *

><p>"Stop here!" shouted Donatello suddenly.<p>

The Shellraiser jerked to a halt as Leonardo hit the brakes. All four turtles scrambled to get out of the cramped space which had only made Donnie's foul stench all the more nauseating. No one had dared say a word about it during the trip, instead focusing on getting to their destination as quickly as possible.

Grateful to be out in the open air of the city at last, they swiftly scaled the nearest building and began scouting along the rooftops. Donnie took the lead, the beeping from his scanner growing more and more frantic. But the genius' footsteps slowed to a halt as he looked at his tracker, confused. He turned to his left and the beeping got stronger. Sticking his tongue out in concentration, he slowly turned back to the right, the beeping fading. That is, until he had turned a full 180 degrees when it returned in full force.

"What's wrong, Donnie?" asked Leo as he curiously watched his brother turn quickly from left to right and back to the left again.

The younger turtle finally stopped fidgeting though his eyes stayed glued to the device in his hands. "I think there are actually two canisters around here," said Donatello thoughtfully. "One signal is leading off a little further into the city, but the other is much stronger, indicating that there should be some mutagen in or near that playground." Donnie pointed to the park on his left at a small play area with a wooden, maze-like structure in the center.

"Then we'll split up," said Leo. "Donnie, you and I will head further into the city. Raph, you and Mikey stay and search the park. Call us if you find anything." As Leo turned to follow Donnie and his tracker, he glanced back to his remaining siblings and added, "And don't just mess around and get into trouble, ok?"

"Yeah, yeah. Don't have fun. Got it, chief," said Raph shortly as he dismissed their leader with a wave of his hand, much to his older brother's annoyance. He briefly watched Leo and Donnie run further into the city before turning to his own ooze hunting partner.

"Come on, Mikey," he said as he jumped down the nearest fire escape and headed toward the park. Michelangelo followed close behind him with a playful grin.

"Last one to find it's a -" the young turtle paused for dramatic effect, "- rotten egg!" He giggled gleefully at his own joke as he landed on the ground.

Raph groaned loudly, trying not to think about how long Mikey had been waiting to use that one. Sticking to the shadows, he peeked his head out of the alleyway and peered up and down the street they would have to cross to reach the park. His arm shot out just in time to keep Mikey from spilling out onto the sidewalk. Raph glared at his sibling and jabbed a finger at his forehead as Mikey laughed nervously.

Knowing they would be exposed in the well lit street, the two turtles waited silently for an opportunity to cross. When no cars were in sight and the few humans had walked far enough out of range, the ninjas made their move. They sprinted toward the park and leapt over the gate with practiced ease, never making a sound. The silence, however, didn't last long.

"Wow!" exclaimed Michelangelo as he stared wide-eyed at the small playground. "This place is awesome! Ooh! Check it out! They even have tire swings!" He bolted toward one of the hanging tires and jumped on it, causing the chain it was hanging from to let out a squeak in protest. "Push me, Raph!"

"I don't think so," answered Raphael, eyeing his brother wearily. "It sounds like that chain could let go any minute, and I don't want to be under you when that happens."

Leaving Mikey to his fun, Raph slowly surveyed the park. Aside from the two tire swings, there was what he presumed to be a short obstacle course consisting of wooden balance beams and stepping blocks as well as a separate fenced in area with swings for small children. The most impressive aspect, however, was the multilevel wooden structure in the center of a large sand pit, complete with rope ladders, lookout towers, monkey bars, and slides.

As he shuffled along the perimeter, he noticed the playground itself was completely fenced off and surrounded by trees. They had entered from the side, but there was a locked entrance leading to a small parking lot to the right. The area was dimly lit from the street lights, but the trees and play equipment cast long, dark shadows over the enclosed area.

Raphael tried to suppress a groan. Thinking about the amount of nooks and crannies the ooze could be hidden in was giving him a headache. He could only hope they were lucky enough to find it in the play area itself without having to wander off into the wooded park.

"Hopefully it's still in one piece, too," he muttered, imaging how many small children must have played in this very park since the city was first littered with mutagen canisters. Those thoughts were quickly dispelled, however, by his brother's yelling.

"You're it, bro!"

Raph began to turn at the sound of Mikey's voice, but he nearly toppled over as he felt two hands on his shoulders and watched his brother leap-frog over him from behind, flipping mid-air. Laughing, the young turtle landed facing Raph and jogged backwards, his tongue sticking out with his hands wagging on either side of his head.

Green eyes narrowed dangerously as Raph's hands balled into fists. An evil grin spread across his face as he cracked his neck.

"Oh, I'll show you who's 'it'. Get back here, you little -!" In an instant he was gone, barreling after the now scrambling Mikey like a charging bull.

Ducking his head and running at full speed, Mikey hurtled toward a nearby slide and ran up it. Grabbing the handrails at the very top, he flipped onto the small wooden platform and began maneuvering through the maze-like structure.

With all of the crisscrossing shadows, Raph would have had trouble keeping track of his younger sibling. Fortunately for him, Mikey was anything but quiet; the energetic turtle's laughter echoed through the otherwise silent night. Bypassing the slide, Raph launched himself directly onto a lower section in an attempt to cut his brother off.

"Nice try, bro!" called Mikey who had immediately jumped to another tower upon realizing his brother's tactic. He dashed across the wooden boards, balancing on top of some monkey bars and toward a tall, spiraling slide.

Jumping back onto the sandy ground, Raph bolted for the bottom of the slide. It was a gamble - if Michelangelo were to suddenly switch directions again, he would have to waste time climbing up the slide as there was no other good entrance onto the structure nearby. But he hoped his brother would be too preoccupied with getting away to notice him silently running across the sand.

It almost worked. Just as Mikey was about to hurl himself down the slide, he saw Raph's shadowed figure reaching the bottom. With a yelp, the young turtle frantically looked around. The metal from a short, enclosed slide directly across the way caught his eye in the dim light. Sucking in a deep breath, the ninja dove off the lip of the taller slide.

Raph looked up just in time to see his brother jumping over his head. As Mikey landed on top of the small slide, he let out a cry of victory.

"Aw yeah!" he cried as he propelled himself onto the wooden platform in front of him. "Too slow, Raph! Gotta try harder than that!"

Raphael growled as he watched his brother race across a suspended bridge. Realizing Mikey was running out of different platforms to jump to, he remained on the ground, feet pounding into the soft sand as he hurried after him.

"When I catch you, I'm gonna bury your face in this sand!" he threatened.

As Michelangelo turned to stick his tongue out at his easily angered sibling, something caught his eye. Glancing to his right, he looked past the nearby tire swings and through the tall fence encompassing the play area. There beneath a sturdy, old tree was a faint green glow. His face immediately lit up.

"Oh yeah! Found it!" cried Mikey as he quickly switched direction. He leapt onto the ground and sprinted for the tree. Jumping onto one of the benches on the perimeter, he flipped over the tall fence with ease. "You lose, dude!"

"Oh no ya don't!" Raph yelled. Truthfully, he'd practically forgotten all about searching for the missing mutagen. He chased after his little brother, not willing to let him to hog all the glory. But as his carefree sibling approached the tree, Raphael couldn't shake the ominous feeling that suddenly came over him. He shuddered in the cool night air, instantly on alert as his eyes darted around suspiciously.

"Might as well just give up now," taunted Mikey. But as he reached out to grab the canister, Raph's eyes widened as he finally realized what was making him so uneasy - the tree's shadow was far larger than it should have been.

As Mikey turned to his brother, holding the container above his head triumphantly, Raph could just barely make out the image of a large, spiked weapon being raised in the air above his baby brother's head.

"Look out!" cried Raph. Throwing a couple of shuriken at the shadowy figure, he scurried over the fence and slammed into his confused brother, knocking him out of the way as a rusty mace fell with a loud thud where the young turtle had just been standing.

With one hand still firmly on the mutagen canister, Mikey pushed himself into a sitting position and groaned. "What the - ?"

But Raph was already on his feet, standing in front of his brother like a shield, his sai drawn.

"Sure has been a while, huh Raph?" came a familiar gravely voice.

"Not long enough," growled Raphael darkly. His grip on his sai tightened.

Mikey's eyes grew wide, and he couldn't help but stare as their attacker emerged from the shadows. He gasped as he recognized the large turtle as none other than his brother's former beloved pet.

He gulped. "Oh man."

Slash stood before them in the dim light, a cruel grin spread across his masked face.

* * *

><p>AN: Had this one shelved for a long time. The way I had originally conceived Slash ended up conflicting with his later appearances, but I recently found a way to rework it without really changing the story. I'm glad because I really need to practice fight scenes, haha.

Critics and grammar police appreciated!


	2. Beating Up is Hard to Do

**Chapter 2: Beating Up is Hard to Do**

Raphael stared up at the imposing figure of Slash, and immediately visions of his brothers' battered bodies danced before his eyes. Instinctively he took a step backward toward Michelangelo who was still on the ground behind him. He had promised himself that he would never allow his former pet to harm his family again. But deep down he also knew that the four of them were stronger as a team. Despite his reluctance to drag his absent brothers into this, their best chance at victory was to work together.

"Call Leo and Donnie," yelled Raph over his shoulder. Not even waiting for a response, he ran up to engage the menacing turtle in battle. Ready for the attack, Slash swung his mace at his opponent. Catching it between the guards of his sai, Raph grunted as he struggled against his attacker's massive strength.

His brother's words and actions snapped Mikey back to attention. "On it!" he said as he scrambled to his feet. He shoved the mutagen canister under his right arm, pulling his T-phone out with the other.

"What's the matter, Raph? Don't think you and the twerp can handle me alone?" taunted Slash. Using brute force, he swung his trapped weapon to the side, effectively dislodging Raph's sai and tossing him to the ground.

"Hey, I'm not a - AH!" Mikey's protest was interrupted as he found the large turtle suddenly bearing down on him, swinging at him wildly with his large mace. Mikey nimbly flipped out of the way, but Slash was relentless. As one blow came particularly close to his head, the young turtle cried out, accidentally dropping his phone in the process. Using his now free hand to grab a low tree branch, he nimbly pulled himself up and climbed higher into the tree, momentarily out of his attacker's reach.

Seeing his opportunity, Slash grinned as he slammed his mace down on the phone, smashing it to pieces.

"Aw, man!" moaned Mikey from his perch. He did not look forward to explaining how he'd managed to break another T-phone to Donnie. Slash, however, had already seemed to lose interest in him as he had turned toward Raph who was back on his feet. Mikey quickly whipped out one of his nunchucks and began whirling it furiously.

"Booyakasha!" he cried as he jumped from the tree branch. While he was successful in drawing the massive turtle's attention back onto himself, the attack failed miserably, and Mikey found himself swiftly knocked away with a powerful backhanded smack.

Raphael's eyes widened as he witnessed Slash treating his baby brother's body like a rag doll for the second time. He could still remember Mikey's unconscious body dangling from the side of a building as clearly as if it had happened mere moments ago. His heart pounded in his chest as he watched his sibling land a few feet away with a soft groan, hurrying to his feet once more.

As the fear of past events repeating themselves gripped him like a vice, Raph made a change in plans. He didn't care if it was reckless, if four on one would be better odds. All he cared about was keeping his brothers safe, and in order to protect his family, he would take on Slash alone. All he needed was to figure out how to get Mikey as far out of harm's way as possible.

Charging Slash with an angry cry, Raph swung and stabbed until he was again able to use his sai to keep the giant turtle's arms occupied. Without even bothering to glance back at Mikey, he shouted, "Hurry up and get out of here! You're just going to have to search for them."

He knew that in reality it was a terrible idea. Mikey's T-phone may have been broken, but his was still in one piece, not to mention they only had a vague idea of where the others might be. It would make far more sense to either try calling them from his phone or to use the tracking device Donnie had installed to locate them. But he needed to send his brother away now, and he didn't want him coming back any time soon.

Mikey eyed Raph wearily, appearing rather dubious of his brother's plan. "What? But Raph - "

Before the young turtle could protest further, Slash broke free of Raph's hold and hurled a clawed hand at his opponent. Raph quickly dodged but immediately engaged him once again, not allowing the violent turtle the opportunity to pursue Mikey.

"Just go!" he yelled forcefully.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mikey hesitate. But just as he was beginning to think that his brother was going to ignore his order, Raph was relieved to finally see a determined look flash across Mikey's face as he grasped the mutagen under his arm and ran toward the street they'd crossed earlier. His relief, however, was short-lived as Slash put all of his strength into a single blow.

Raph felt the fullness of Slash's weight as the large turtle slammed into him. He tumbled along the ground until his shell smacked hard into a nearby tree. Raph grit his teeth against the sudden pain, doing his best to bite back a pitiful moan. Recalling Mikey's retreating figure, however, urged him to his feet. Using the tree as leverage, he stood once more, gripping his sai, angling them toward his attacker.

"So now you wanna fight me one on one, huh?" said Slash with a smirk. "Not too smart, Raphael. But then you never were one for using your head."

"Oh yeah? Well how's this for using my head?" Without warning, Raph barreled into Slash head first, sending the two of them rolling along the ground. Slash dropped his mace at the sudden blow, using his arms to stop their momentum. Before the large turtle could retaliate, however, Raph jumped away and assumed a defensive stance.

"I won't let you hurt my brothers ever again," he threatened, baring his teeth, his eyes narrow.

To Raph's surprise, Slash began to laugh. "I didn't come here for your brothers," he said as he stood upright. Lifting his weapon off the ground with his right hand, he brought the rod down hard in his left. "I came here for you."

Without giving him a chance to react, the large turtle lurched forward and began attacking furiously. Raph jumped and ducked out of the way, trying his best to evade the enemy onslaught. But he soon found himself with his back up against the outer fence of the playground. He readied himself to jump it when Slash suddenly rammed his forearm into his chest. Raph was pinned against the fence, the impact stealing the breath from his lungs and causing him to drop his weapons. As he clawed at the arm holding him in place, Slash leaned in close.

"We were supposed to be partners," he spat, his face mere inches from his captive's, "Patrolling the city together, crushing the lowlifes that got in our way - but you betrayed me."

"I betrayed you?" said Raph, his lips curling in disgust as he fought to break free, "You attacked my brothers! You were gonna kill them!" He briefly stopped struggling as he stared viciously into Slash's eyes. "I wanted us to be partners, but not if it was going to cost me my family. _Never_ if it was going to cost me my family!"

A low growl rumbled from between the massive turtle's clenched jaws. "You were always going on about how you wanted to be free of them, how you wanted to do things your own way," sneered Slash as his eyes narrowed, "And yet all I see is you clinging to that leash they've got you on.

"I was going to give you everything you said you wanted. You didn't need weaklings like them. I was the only family you'd ever need." The longing in the large turtle's eyes for what could have been was unmistakable, but it was quickly replaced with a cold, hard stare. "But you made it very clear that you'd rather stoop to their level than rise to mine." Dropping his mace, Slash pulled back his now free arm and extracted his jagged claws. "And if you won't be my partner, I guess that makes you my enemy."

Raph only had a split second to react. Quickly ducking his head into his shell, Slash's strike missed it's target, his claws clanging against the metal bars behind him instead. While his attacker was momentarily surprised, Raph popped his head back out. Raising his right elbow, he brought it down hard on the arm Slash was using to hold him in place. He then slammed his left palm up into his opponent's jaw, not allowing him time to retaliate. The force of the blow sent Slash stumbling backwards, causing him to finally drop the smaller turtle.

Raphael snatched up his sai and went in for another attack, refusing to lose the upper hand. Leaving him no time to counter, Slash could only attempt to block the sudden onslaught. Realizing he was being driven back, the larger turtle's eyes sought out his discarded weapon, finding it on the ground a few feet away. Snarling, he lunged toward the mace, leaving himself wide open. With a fierce cry, Raph launched a swift kick to his opponent's gut just as his fingers curled around the spiked weapon. Slash skid across the ground, his spiked shell digging into the earth and slowing him to a stop. Rising to his feet, Slash gripped his mace and backed away defensively.

"We don't have to be enemies," said Raph, more cautious now that the larger turtle was once again armed, "But I beat you once, and if I have to, I'll do it again."

Slash laughed darkly. "You didn't 'beat' me," he scoffed, "I fell off a roof. Face it, Raph, you stand no chance against me here on the ground without your cheap tricks."

"'Cheap tricks'?" said Raph, his tone rising in disbelief, "Who was it that ambushed Donnie from behind? Not only that, who imitated Leo, leading Mikey into a trap?"

"That's called cunning," he retorted, his eyes narrow as a cruel smirk spread across his face. "I'm not just some pet anymore; I'm smarter, stronger, and I plan to use my advantages to their fullest." Without warning, Slash suddenly charged at Raph, catching him off guard. He was barely able to put up a defense in time, allowing his attacker to land a harsh blow to his left arm with his mace.

Raph cried out in pain as he quickly jumped out of the way of the next attack, ignoring the blood now trickling down his arm. Forced to drop the sai from that hand, he held the other out in front of him like a shield as he darted behind a nearby tree, his eyes fixed to his attacker.

Slash laughed as he casually twirled his mace before pointing it at his former owner. "So, you think you can protect your brothers, huh? And how exactly do you plan to do that when you can't even protect yourself?"

Backing up slowly, Raph suddenly found himself wishing that Leo were here to come up with a plan to get him out of this. But as soon as the thought struck him, he brushed it aside. He was going to finish this on his own. Slash was his responsibility, and there was no way he was getting his brothers involved.

"You know," said Slash as he continued to advance slowly, flexing his free hand, "With the way things are going, I may finish up here sooner than expected. I've barely been able to work up a sweat, and you did send that brother of yours running off with the mutagen."

Raph's eyes narrowed, at first unsure of what Slash was hinting at. His eyes widened suddenly, however, as he recalled something his former pet had said the night he'd been mutated; Slash could track mutagen by it's scent. No matter where Mikey ran, Slash could find him. Raph snarled, cursing himself for forgetting such an important detail.

Raising his index finger, Slash smugly tapped his nose. "Maybe after I finish you, I'll go after him." His grin darkened. "Just for fun."

Raph could feel the rage swelling inside of him. He growled as he gripped his remaining sai fiercely, his arms shaking with fury. Allowing his emotions to control his actions, the enraged turtle charged at Slash with an angry cry, wanting nothing more than to smack the overconfident smirk off of his face.

"You stay away from him!" he yelled, brandishing his sai out in front of him.

But Slash had been expecting such an attack. With uncanny agility for a creature his size, he dodged the frontal assault by shifting to his attacker's left, punching his injured arm as he came up behind the smaller turtle. Raph grit his teeth at the pain shooting down his arm and swung behind him wildly, but he felt only air as again Slash had anticipated his move and responded with a powerful uppercut. Raph briefly found himself in midair before the ground at last came up to meet him, forcing the air from his lungs.

The turtle lay on his back, gasping for breath and cringing in pain. It felt as if every one of his muscles had been battered and bruised. But his mind could only think of his brothers, and running on pure adrenaline, he forced himself back to his feet, his sai quivering in his grasp as he pointed it at Slash.

The larger turtle smirked, his stance relaxed as if he were merely toying with him. "I always admired that about you, Raphael. You could be beaten within an inch of your life and still find a way to keep on going." He began tapping his mace in his hand. "Makes it more fun for me."

Raph could feel his entire body protesting as Slash began his slow approach once more, dragging the fight out as long as possible. In desperation, he glanced around him, looking for an escape. The thin trees offered little protection and few places to hide, and in his weakened condition, shadows were his closest allies. Finding himself with no other options, Raph sheathed his sai, and, grabbing the top of the fence, he swung his body over it clumsily and ran toward the playground. Reaching the nearest slide, he ran up it and landed on the wooden platform at the top.

"You think I'm just going to let you run away?" said Slash as he too leapt over the fence, continuing his approach. "I've got you right where I want you. You can't escape. You do, and I'll go after your precious baby brother instead."

But the injured turtle had no intention of running away. As Slash followed him into the heart of the playground, Raph made sure to stay just close enough to keep his pursuer's attention. Once he had lured the large turtle into a blind spot, he immediately slid silently over the wall of the tall tower he had reached and grasped at the slats. Clinging to the outer edge like a spider, he crawled around the structure as swiftly as he could manage with his weakened arm until he saw Slash jump onto the tower he'd been on only moments ago.

With the jagged shell now facing him, he dropped down to the soft sand and darted beneath a low, suspended bridge. Clutching his bleeding arm, he fought to stifle his gasps for breath. Through the cracks between the wooden planks, he could see Slash turning his head, searching for any sign of where his prey had escaped to.

"Is that all you've got, Raph?" Slash yelled, trying the lure the smaller turtle out of hiding.

But his opponent stuck to the shadows, ignoring the taunt. As Slash jumped down to the sand, Raph crept out from his hiding place, making sure the larger turtle's dark shell was always to him. Pulling a shuriken out of his belt, he threw it at the metal rung of a ladder to Slash's right. The black masked head whipped around toward the noise, but didn't pursue. Raph repeated the action, this time aiming for one of the metal slides to his left as he ducked low behind a sturdy support beam. From his hiding place, he watched as Slash began to whirl around angrily, clearly growing tired of his little game of hide and seek.

"Come out and fight me, Raphael!" he shouted as he single-handedly swung his mace, smashing one of the supports for a row of monkey bars. Splinters flew as the structure began to sag, groaning under the loss of one of it's beams.

Raph continued to glide silently through the shadows, making it as difficult as possible for Slash to pin down his exact location while keeping him distracted with his shuriken. The large turtle stomped through the sand with a fierce growl, his head darting back and forth as he desperately searched for the source of all the noise. Frustrated, Slash brought down his mace again with an infuriated roar, this time on one of the corners of the bridge Raph had hidden under earlier.

Watching the raging turtle, Raph grasped another shuriken, this time glaring at the back of his opponent's head which stood between two spikes on his massive shell like a target. He knew this could be his only chance at taking down the monster he'd unintentionally created, at making sure his family was safe for good. And yet he also knew he'd never be able to bring himself to actually do it. As he watched the ferocious animal roar in anger, the look on his face softened. Slash was right; he wasn't just some pet anymore. But when he looked at him, he still couldn't help but think of Spike.

With a deep breath, he adjusted his aim. Just as Slash turned to his right, his mace carrying arm exposed, Raph brought back his arm and threw. With skilled precision, he watched as the sharp object embedded itself into the other turtle's shoulder.

With a roar of pain, Slash whirled around, his eyes fixed on the shadows in the general direction the blade must have come from. With a snarl, he ran forward, his weapon raised, and smashed the closest beam. But Raphael had already moved on, circling him again as he readied another shuriken. He once more targeted the arm holding the large weapon, this time hitting his forearm.

Slash was now in a blind rage, swinging his mace wildly as he again dashed toward Raph's supposed hiding place. The smaller turtle continued to dance around his opponent, but he was beginning to notice a flaw in his plan. Thanks to the angry turtle's rampage, he was quickly running out of places to hide. The playground groaned and creaked as more and more support beams were ruthlessly destroyed. If he wasn't careful, the entire thing would collapse on top of him.

Raph glanced down at his arm which was still bleeding steadily. He frowned, realizing he shouldn't keep this up for much longer, but knowing he couldn't simply try to escape without bringing his pursuer's rage upon his brothers. He would just have to stay on the offensive in hopes of wearing Slash down before the blood loss began effecting his reflexes.

He nearly jumped, however, when his T-phone began to vibrate. He knew it must have been Leo and Donnie checking in on how the search for the mutagen was going, but answering it would surely attract Slash's attention. But if they had already found their canister and were on their way to find him, he had to hurry. He didn't want them mixed up in this, and he currently had no way of warning them without endangering himself.

Gritting his teeth, Raph grabbed more shuriken and continued to aim for the arm wielding the giant mace. To his dismay, however, he only managed to lodge two more in the already injured arm before his opponent successfully dodged the fifth at the last second. Slash was calming down ever so slightly, beginning to catch on to his movements, and he was able to avoid the next two attempts completely. A sense of panic began to settle in the pit of Raph's stomach as the large turtle turned and looked directly at the shadows he was using for cover, a victorious smirk on his face.

Not allowing him time to escape, Raph found the large turtle quickly bearing down on him, switching his mace from his bleeding right arm to his uninjured left. He did his best to use what still stood of the wooden playground as a shield. But even without the strength of his dominant arm, Slash was tearing through it as if it were made of paper, and Raph found himself forced into the open sand to avoid being crushed. This was exactly the opportunity his attacker had been waiting for, and with a clumsy swing, he hit the smaller turtle square in the chest, sending him flying backwards.

After the hit to his plastron and harsh landing in the shallow sand, Raph tried desperately to control his breathing. Dizzy, he cursed, trying to force his body back into action, but it had stopped listening. All he could manage was to weakly prop himself up with his uninjured arm. His head spinning from the movement, the turtle let out a hiss of pain, squeezing his eyes shut tightly.

With a triumphant grin, Slash towered over the fallen turtle. "Did you really think a few paper cuts would slow me down?" he taunted, casually glancing at his injured arm. Gripping the mace with his other hand, he slowly raised it above his head, eyes fixed on the small turtle before him.

"It's over, Raphael," he said, "No more fooling around."

Opening his eyes, Raph tried to stay defiant in the face of his attacker, but his heart couldn't help but be filled with fear and sadness. He thought of Mikey running around the city with the mutagen thoughtlessly tucked under his arm. The young turtle would be unaware of the dangers waiting to hunt him down, and he knew he had failed in his mission to protect his brothers from the monster he'd created. Even when given the chance, he just couldn't deal the finishing blow to his former friend and confidant.

"Spike," he murmured, barely above a whisper as he locked eyes with the large turtle. For a split second, Raph could have sworn that he saw that same sadness reflected in his old pet's eyes, but they hardened again quickly as he let out a low growl.

"I'm not gonna say it again," he said, "The name is Slash."

As the weapon began it's descent, Raph, scared as he was, refused to turn his gaze away despite knowing that there was nothing he could do to avoid the oncoming strike. But before the mace could reach him, a long chain suddenly wrapped itself around Slash's wrist, yanking him backwards. The large turtle stumbled and dropped his weapon, unprepared for the attack, as he was pulled toward the tire swings behind him. It all happened so quickly that Raph was at first unsure of what was going on, but as he watched Slash snarl in fury, he heard another voice.

"Get away from him, you over-sized pin cushion!"

Raphael stared wide-eyed at Michelangelo who stood on top of the tire swings' support beams, wrapping the other end of his kusarigama to the sturdy structure. Slash struggled to get free, swinging a clawed hand at his captor, but the young turtle flipped out of his reach effortlessly.

"Didn't see that coming, did ya?" crowed Mikey as he landed. Running over to his injured brother, he said, "Sorry I'm late! I had to find a good spot to hide the mutagen." Stopping in front of him, he reached down to take hold of Raph's uninjured arm. "Dude, you look terrible!"

"What are you doing here?" Raph asked, a hint of anger in his voice. As Mikey helped him to his feet, he ground his teeth and winced, trying to ignore the pain shooting through his battered body.

"What are you talking about?" asked Mikey as he swung Raph's arm around his neck so that his older brother could use him as a crutch. "That was the plan, wasn't it? Ditch the mutagen so Slash couldn't smell where I was and then hit him with a sneak attack? I mean, there's no way something as dumb as sending me out to search, like, a hundred city blocks for Leo and Donnie was the _real_ plan."

Raph looked at his brother, dumbfounded, as they slowly began navigating through all of the fallen wooden beams. He wasn't sure whether he should be upset that Mikey hadn't done what he'd been told, happy he'd made it back in time to save him, or surprised his baby brother had remembered the important detail he himself had forgotten.

"...that wasn't the real plan, was it?" Mikey repeated cautiously.

In typical Raph fashion, the gruff turtle finally settled on angry. With a frustrated growl, he yelled, "Yes!"

Before his brother had a chance to respond, a loud roar caused both of them to jump. They quickly turned to where Slash had been chained to the tire swings, but he had already managed to break free of his bonds and was now running after them angrily, grabbing his mace as he passed where it had fallen. Mikey cried out in surprise as he tried to force Raph into a faster pace, but the injured turtle simply couldn't keep up.

"Just hurry up and get out of here!" cried Raph, panting heavily, "He's not after you, he's after me!"

His brother's eyes widened in surprise. "What? No way! I'm not leaving y- AH!"

Mikey pushed Raph roughly out of the way as Slash's mace hit the ground where they had just been standing, throwing sand into the air. Shielding his eyes, the young turtle drew out his remaining nunchuck. Whirling it furiously at Slash, he attempted to separate the massive turtle from his injured brother. Reaching into his belt with his free hand, he pulled out a smoke bomb and threw it directly into their attacker's face. With a ferocious cry, the large turtle began swinging his mace around wildly, no longer able to see the targets in front of him.

"Come on!" said Mikey as he grabbed Raph's arm again, attempting to drag him to his feet. But before Raph could leave the ground, he was suddenly pushed back down. "Duck!"

The older turtle found his head being pushed into the sand, a burst of air above his head as Slash's mace flew harmlessly by. He could feel his baby brother's arms covering his head protectively as the furious turtle's roars were accompanied by loud crashes and groans. Suddenly, Raph cried out in agony as he felt a sharp pain in his right foot. He found himself beginning to lose consciousness, and as darkness overtook him, he swore he could ever so faintly hear Mikey calling his name.

* * *

><p>AN: I seriously underestimated the amount of description involved in fight scenes, haha. I'm very interested in hearing how I did with them and if there's anything I can work on. As always, critics and grammar police appreciated!


	3. Two Heads are Better than None

**Chapter 3: Two Heads are Better than None**

Leonardo sighed heavily as he looked down at the T-phone in his hand as if willing it to ring. Mikey and Raph hadn't contacted them yet like they were supposed to once they found the mutagen. Considering how close Donnie had said it was, he had assumed it wouldn't take very long to find. Having already retrieved their own canister, the two of them had returned to the Shellraiser, Donnie heading inside to store the container for safe keeping. Leo of course had then tried contacting his younger brothers, but neither had responded.

"Where are those guys?" he wondered aloud, placing his free hand on his hip. "If they're even just messing around, so help me..." He trailed off as he caught a whiff of rotten eggs, his sibling reappearing from inside the Shellraiser. Fighting back the urge to cover his nose, he reminded himself to lock Mikey in Donnie's room for a good, long while once they returned to the lair.

"Alright, Leo," said Donnie as he approached his older brother, "The mutagen is safely stored away. Were you able to get ahold of Raph or Mikey?"

"No," replied Leo with more than a hint of annoyance, "I tried calling them both, but neither one is answering. What could be taking them so long?"

"I would say that maybe they got into trouble, but you did send _Mikey _and _Raph _to search a _playground_," said Donnie with a smirk which his brother chose to pretend he didn't see. "You know how those two are. They're probably just goofing off."

Rubbing his temple, Leo closed his eyes and sighed again. "You're probably right," he said. He glanced over at his younger brother. "I guess we'll just have to track them down."

Donnie nodded as he pulled out his mutagen tracker. "I've still got a lock on the other canister. The signal is coming from that direction." He pointed to his left. "If we find it, we'll probably find them too."

"Alright," said Leo, putting away his T-phone, "Then let's move."

Allowing Donnie to take the lead, he silently followed his younger brother. It was an unusually quiet night. All Leo could hear was the whirring and clicking of Donnie's tracker. His senses on alert, the eldest turtle looked around cautiously as they ran through the city's back alleyways. He was unnerved by the stillness, unsure if there really were fewer birds above and rats about his feet than usual or if he was simply imagining it. Regardless, the silence put him on edge, leaving a ball of worry in the pit of his stomach, though he couldn't quite pinpoint why.

Donnie's voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts. "Over here! I think I got it, but this can't be right..."

Still keeping a sharp eye on his surroundings, Leo watched his brother curiously. Donnie had stopped to take the lid off of a trash can and was now digging through it. Walking up behind his sibling, the older turtle craned his neck and peered over his brother's shoulder.

"It's a good thing I can't smell any worse," Donnie muttered to himself. With a victorious "aha!", he pulled his head back out of the trash and raised a mutagen canister for Leo to see. Studying the tracker in his other hand curiously, he frowned. "This just doesn't make any sense."

"What do you mean?" asked Leo.

Donnie held up the tracking device for his brother to see. "My tracker clearly said that there was mutagen in that park earlier, but we're still a couple of blocks away." He again brought the device up to his own face, studying it closely. "And this container is definitely the only one in the vicinity, so this has to be the same one."

Mulling over this new information, Leo's eyes narrowed. If Donnie was right, and this was the same canister as the one from the park, it couldn't have gotten here by itself. Somebody purposefully picked it up, carried it out here, and threw it in a trash can. Considering the short amount of time that had passed, he could only think of a couple of explanations as to why, none of which he liked.

"Maybe Mikey and Raph did get into trouble," he said grimly. "What if that mutagen was another trap to lure us in and then whoever set it grabbed Raph and Mikey and ditched the ooze?"

"Or maybe they ran into the Foot or the Kraang and had to hide the mutagen for safe keeping," suggested Donnie.

"Either way, we'd better hurry up and find those two," said Leo seriously. "Donnie, can you track their T-phones?"

"One step ahead of you, Leo," he said, his tracker already attached to his belt, T-phone in hand. "And... there we go! But that's weird..."

"What is it?" The older turtle tried to keep his voice calm, anxiously watching as his sibling tapped at his phone's screen. "Weird" was not something he needed to hear right now.

Donatello looked up at Leo, unable to completely hide his own unease. "I'm only getting one signal," he said, "It's Raph. If Mikey - or his phone, anyway - were anywhere in the city, I would have picked up his signal, but, nothing. His phone must be either turned off or broken."

Unable to keep his body from tensing up at the news, Leonardo's face darkened. He clenched his fists at his sides, pushing away all of the disturbing thoughts that bombarded his mind. The unnerving feeling he'd had earlier was beginning to intensify. If anything happened to Mikey...

"Where's Raph?"

"His signal's coming from the park. This way!" Not waiting for any sign of acknowledgment, Donnie took off, mutagen canister in one hand and T-phone in the other. Leo immediately followed close behind.

The two turtles moved swiftly through the alleyways, keeping their eyes and ears alert to any sign of trouble. A chill breeze sent a shiver down Leo's back, prickling his senses. He tried to shrug it off, but upon almost reaching their destination, the older turtle suddenly reached out and grabbed his brother's arm. Donnie stumbled to a halt and turned back to him as Leo held a finger to his lips and cocked his head as if listening intensely.

Donnie stood still for only a moment before nodding in understanding. There was a faint roar coming from the direction of the park. Without a word, the two shared a glance before taking off once more, quickening their pace.

Looking down at his T-phone, Donnie mentally tried to calculate how long it would take them to reach the playground. But as he was doing so, he let out a gasp. The red light indicating Raphael's phone suddenly disappeared. He desperately tapped at the screen, but the signal was gone. Not wanting to alarm Leo, he silently put the phone away and continued onward, swallowing the lump that was forming in his throat.

As Leo watched his brother attach his T-phone to his belt, he felt as if his heart might beat out of his chest. Donnie was always using his gadgets to help him stay focused on the task at hand. Seeing him put the device away, he couldn't help but worry about his brothers' safety.

The animalistic noises weren't helping his anxiety either. His eyes narrowed as the sound grew louder and louder until finally they could see the park across the street. It was definitely the origin of the ferocious cries. As Donnie held out an arm, Leo paused, glancing up at his younger sibling. Donnie's face was grim, and for the first time that night, the older turtle could see a trace of fear in his brother's eyes.

"I know that roar," said Donatello softly. He instinctively reached up to grip the end of his bo staff, memories of the night he'd first heard it racing across his mind. He turned toward Leo, his face serious. "It belongs to Slash."

The impact of his brother's words slowly sunk in, and Leonardo's eyes widened as he fought to retain his composure. He had not been there to witness first hand the fullness of Slash's fury, merely getting swatted away as soon as he had arrived to help. What he did remember was the aftermath. Every one of his brothers had been bloodied and bruised. Mikey's black eye had healed quickly enough, but Donnie had needed to keep his arm in a sling for a few weeks, not to mention the emotional damage dealt to Raph. And now knowing that two of his brother's last known whereabouts were in Slash's current location, he could only pray that they were both still in one piece.

Without a word, Leo pulled out his swords and motioned across the street. Donnie replied with a quick nod, and as soon as the coast was clear, they darted toward the park, taking cover in the shadows of the surrounding trees. Cautiously peering out from his hiding place, Leo's breath caught in his throat as he took in the scene beyond the fence.

"RAAAAAPH!"

There stood Slash, still roaring furiously, but it wasn't the giant turtle that made his heart pound. It was the playground that now lay in shambles at the massive turtle's feet. There was no sign of Raphael or Michelangelo anywhere, and Leo's mind raced as his brain began forcing him to think of worst case scenarios.

He didn't have time to dwell on any of them, however, as the rampaging turtle suddenly grew quiet. Slash lifted his face into the air before turning his head sharply toward the two turtles' hiding spots with a low growl.

"Oh no," muttered Donnie, his face instantly paling.

Sneaking a look at his brother, Leo silently cursed. He feared that the smell of rotten eggs had given away their location, and if that were true, running would likely be futile. He exchanged a glance with Donnie before they both quickly ducked behind the trees once more.

Knowing he had little time to formulate a plan, Leo motioned to his brother, indicating that they should split up. Donnie nodded in response and began heading around the perimeter toward the park entrance while Leo took the opposite route, following the curve of the fence. If his hunch about how Slash had found them was correct, it may just give them the advantage they needed, and the sooner he was out of the picture, the sooner they could search for their missing brothers.

Keeping an eye on the spiked turtle, it didn't take long to realize that Slash was indeed only tracking Donnie. With a gulp, the younger turtle moved swiftly from tree to tree, hiding in the thin shadows they provided as much as possible. Glancing back at the advancing turtle, his gaze fell upon the rubble. If Raph, and Mikey, for that matter, really had been in the park, there was a good chance they were now buried under the debris. His mind started going over the list of possible injuries his brothers could sustain in such an incident, everything from broken bones to puncture wounds.

As he mentally went down the checklist, he was suddenly aware that he'd reached the front entrance. Eyeing the open sidewalk warily, he instead decided to hide in some nearby bushes. Once concealed, he peeked out, and to his surprise, Slash was nowhere in sight. Trying not to panic, he put the mutagen canister on the ground and remained where he crouched. Taking in a deep breath, he gripped his staff tightly with both hands, glancing around nervously.

"Hiding from someone?"

Donnie jumped at the gravely voice and wildly whirled around. It was then he noticed the large, dark shadow amongst the trees. Slash had already left the confinement of the former playground, and he was headed straight for him with an icy glare.

Hiding was useless now, Donnie knew. Leaving the canister behind, he stood and left the bushes, holding his bo staff out in front of him protectively.

Slash stopped only a few feet away, an annoyed snarl on his face. "This is between me and Raph," he warned, "I suggest you stay out of it if you wanna keep that precious brain of yours in your skull."

Baring his teeth, Donnie glared at the large turtle. "What have you done with Raph and Mikey?" he demanded, hoping his voice held more confidence than he currently felt.

"Raph and I were just talking," Slash replied, his eyes narrowing in irritation, "Then that little twerp showed up and got in the way. Not sure what happened to him after that. Don't care. Like I said, I'm only here for Raph." He suddenly banged his mace heavily against the ground with a growl.

Donnie took a step back at the sudden childish display of anger but then stilled, refusing to give up any further ground. Looking over Slash, he quickly took in all of the larger turtle's injuries. Someone had gotten in a few well placed shuriken, leaving him weak on the right side - his dominant side, it would seem, considering his somewhat clumsy hold on the mace. His left wrist also had some minor scrapes, and he was covered in sweat and taking deep breaths as he slowly continued toward him. While none of them made for a terribly big advantage, the smaller turtle was determined to exploit them to their fullest if need be.

"Just wanted to talk with Raph, huh?" said Donnie, trying to stall for time, "I suppose you just talked the playground into collapsing in on itself?"

At this, Slash smirked. "Things may have gotten a little out of hand," he said darkly. Continuing his approach, he again slammed his mace into the ground. This time Donnie refused to even so much as flinch.

"Now, if you don't mind," Slash continued, "I'm really kind of busy right now, so do yourself a favor, and get lost."

"And not take advantage of your injured right arm?," said Donnie, raising his voice ever so slightly as his line of sight drifted just beyond the large turtle's shoulder. Again meeting his gaze, he returned Slash's smirk. "Now why would I do that?"

Before the large turtle had a chance to reply, twin blades came down across his back, cutting into his shell and causing him to roar in pain. He quickly whirled around, swinging his mace wildly at his attacker, but the invisible opponent skillfully dodged the assault and rolled to his now wide open right side. Slash again cried out as he felt a fierce kick to his arm, causing him to topple over and land face first in the dirt.

Turning his attention away from the fallen turtle, Leonardo ran over to his younger brother. "You ok, Donnie?" he asked.

"Oh yeah, sure, just peachy," said Donnie sarcastically.

Balling his fist in anger, Slash glared up at the two brothers from the ground, rage rolling off of him in waves. "I don't have time for you!" he snapped. Breathing heavily through his clenched teeth, he rose to his feet, swaying slightly as he regained his balance.

Leo and Donnie both assumed offensive stances, returning their focus to their opponent.

"Well, you'd better make time," said Leo confidently. "I think you'll find me a bit more of a challenge then the last time we met. Think you can handle it?"

With a deep growl echoing from his throat, Slash gripped his mace tightly and let out a loud, threatening roar.

"Is that supposed to scare me?" Leo taunted, "Come on, _Spike_, let's see what you've got!"

Glancing at his brother skeptically, Donnie readied himself for the oncoming attack. He didn't have to wait long before Slash sprung into action, moving at a speed the lanky turtle had not anticipated due to his earlier signs of fatigue. The massive turtle swung his mace, and Donnie quickly leapt out of the way right as the weapon struck the tree directly next to where he'd just been standing. As he turned to face the rampaging turtle once more, however, it was obvious that he was not the intended target.

"Is that all you've got?" Leo cried as he backed away, heading further into the sparse woods. "I know a walking jar of goo that fights better than you!"

As if under a trance, Slash followed the mocking turtle as he lead him away from his brother. Donnie's first instinct was to use the trees as cover, landing an attack to their opponent's remaining good arm as Leo drew his attention away. But he held back, knowing there were more pressing matters at stake. Two of his brothers were still missing, and this was his chance to find them. Leo could take care of himself, but if Raph or Mikey, or both, were trapped in the large pile of debris, they needed his help a lot more than Leo did right now.

Sliding his bo back into it's sheath, Donnie quickly darted toward the fence, climbing over it with a determined look on his face.

"I'm coming, guys."

* * *

><p>"Raph?"<p>

The turtle in question moaned, trying to ignore the voice calling his name. His body felt heavy, weighted down as if even attempting to lift a finger would take a strength he didn't possess. The very thought of moving was exhausting, but the voice was persistent.

"Raph," came the call again, this time accompanied by a soft shake on his left shoulder.

The light touch on his arm sent a shooting pain all the way down through his finger tips, causing him to jerk away. "Ahh!" cried Raph, instantly wide awake.

"Oops! Sorry, wrong shoulder..." The voice - which he now was lucid enough to recognize as Michelangelo's - gave a nervous laugh.

With a hiss of pain, Raphael tried to open his eyes to direct an icy glare at his baby brother, but upon doing so he found nothing but darkness.

"I'm so glad you're awake, bro," came Mikey's disembodied voice again.

In an attempt to regain his bearings, Raph blinked a few times before using his uninjured arm to try and push himself up. Once on his elbow, however, he found his shell bumping against a hard surface with a dull thud. Something was just above them, and that something was heavy. Falling back into the soft sand, Raph groaned.

"What happened?" he croaked weakly. His lips and throat felt dry and scratchy as he tried to speak.

"Oh man, Slash started going berserk!" said Mikey excitedly. Raph could hear him shuffling in the sand and managed a light smirk as he pictured his little brother trying to talk without the use of his hands. "I threw a smoke bomb in his face so we could get away, but he just started swinging that spiked ball of his all crazy like! He almost took your head off! But don't worry, Raph - " the older turtle could hear the pride practically dripping from Mikey's voice, " - I protected you."

It was all a bit hazy, but Raph could remember being pushed to the ground. One moment it was loud and chaotic, but then something had muffled the noise. Understanding dawned on him as he suddenly recalled the feeling of his brother's arms shielding his head protectively. Mikey had been calling his name, but that was where his memory faded.

"So how'd we get here?" he asked, strength returning to his voice, "Where are we?"

"The whole playground started to collapse," said Mikey, "I thought we were goners! But this bridge - " Raph heard a light knocking from above his head " - managed to keep most it off of us. Are you ok?"

"Been better," he replied, trying to ignore his throbbing arm. He briefly wondered if it was still bleeding and decided to try and adjust his position so as to take as much pressure off of it as possible. But as his weight shifted, he felt a sharp pain spread up his right leg. He cried out in surprise, finding himself unable to move his foot.

There was a bump of shell against wood as Mikey had clearly tried to move at the sound of his brother's painful shout. "What happened?" the young turtle asked frantically, twitching nervously in the sand. "Is it your arm again?"

Letting out a hiss, Raph gingerly moved his uninjured hand until it reached his belt. Once there, he fumbled around, feeling for his T-phone.

"Raph?"

"Just hang on a sec, ok?" Finally finding the phone with his fingers, he grabbed it and laid it in the sand in front of him, turning on the flashlight feature Donnie had installed so they could both see.

"Hey!" exclaimed Mikey as he used his arm to shield his eyes, "Warn a guy before you do that!"

"Sorry," Raph said simply as he squeezed his eyes shut and focused on taking slow, deep breaths. Peeling open his eyes once more, allowing them to adjust to the new light, he stole a glance at his baby brother. There was a long scratch on his forehead, and he could see shallow cuts all along his arms in addition to a nasty bruise forming on his right tricep. He couldn't help but feel guilty, knowing Mikey must have received those injuries protecting him while he merely laid there, uselessly unconscious.

"So what's wrong?" asked Mikey as he began peeking through his eyelids.

Turning his head ever so slightly, Raph glanced toward his right leg. "It's my foot," he said, wincing, "Something must've fell on it when we were being buried under here."

"Let me see." Grabbing the T-phone, Mikey shifted until he could see past Raph's shell and angled the light toward his brother's injured foot. A look of concentration covered his face until he suddenly gasped in surprise. "Dude, there's this giant piece of wood on it! It looks kinda fat and bruised."

Raph grit his teeth. "I had that feeling," he said grimly.

"We gotta get you outta here," said Mikey as he shuffled around, trying to bring the phone up to his face. "I tried to push this thing off us, but it's too heavy. I'll call Leo and Donnie, tell them to come find us."

"No," said Raph firmly, causing his brother to pause and look at him curiously. "Slash is still out there. Tell them to get as far away from here as they can and to come back and get us in a couple of hours."

Mikey nearly dropped the phone. "What!?" he shouted, an eye ridge raised in confusion and a frown contorting his mouth, "A couple of hours? But Raph - "

"If they come to get us now, Slash is going to be waiting for them!" snapped Raph.

"Not half an hour ago you wanted me to go get Leo and Donnie, and now you don't?" asked Mikey, thoroughly baffled. He knew that the plan his brother had concocted when they'd first run into Slash wasn't exactly well thought out, but this was utter nonsense.

Balling his right hand into a tight fist, Raph groaned in frustration. "It was never about getting Leo and Donnie!" he said angrily. "It was about getting you away from that maniac!"

Mikey blinked in surprise before narrowing his eyes in confusion. "Wait, what now?"

"Look, I know it was stupid trying to take Slash on alone, ok? But after what happened last time, I didn't wanna take any chances. Slash is my responsibility, and I'm gonna take care of him," said Raph stubbornly, glaring at his brother. "You should have just done what you were told and left me to handle it. If you had, we wouldn't be stuck here right now."

"If I had, you'd be a turtle pancake right now!" retorted Mikey with a scowl. "Or did you forget that I had to jump in at the last minute to save your shell?"

"I had it under control." As the words left his mouth, even Raph knew he sounded less than convincing.

Mikey was practically seething at this point. "Oh, I'm sure! What was it, part of your 'brilliant' scheme to roll over and play dead until he backed off so you could scratch him with another shuriken?" he mocked.

"I was trying to protect you!" Raph shouted, failing in his attempts to ignore his growing headache from all the noise.

At this the young turtle simply stared at him. The older turtle briefly wondered if his brother was going to respond when, after a short pause, he finally spoke.

"By sending me off on a fake mission carrying the one thing that Slash could use to track me down?" asked Mikey skeptically. He saw Raph glance away, at least having the decency to appear slightly embarrassed.

"I forgot he could do that," he muttered.

Mikey's glare softened a bit, but his voice remained firm. "After what happened last time, you shouldn't have tried to take him on alone," he said insistently.

Turning his gaze back to his little brother, Raph's eyes narrowed defiantly. "After what happened last time, I'm not gonna let him get anywhere near you."

"Well, I'm not gonna let him get anywhere near _you_!" retorted Mikey willfully. His older brother looked as if he wanted to object, but the young turtle refused to give him the chance. He was getting fed up with all of his selfish excuses. "Did you even see yourself back then? Instead of green, you were black and blue from head to toe. He was tossing you in the air like pizza dough and hitting you like you were some stuffed training dummy. He knocked you out cold, bro! He was ready to tear you apart! If it weren't for me and Donnie, you'd have been toast!"

Mikey had been practically shouting again as he finished his rant. Ending with an irritated huff, he watched as Raph turned his eyes away as if studying the sand beneath him. He waited for some response from his quick-tempered sibling, but for once his brother remained silent.

"I know how you feel, Raph," continued Mikey, softening his tone, "because I feel the same way. And I know I'm just your 'little brother', but that doesn't mean I can't look out for you and protect you like you always do for me."

The injured turtle finally looked up into Mikey's blue eyes and saw his own stubbornness reflected back at him. The fierce determination he saw in them caught him slightly off guard as they were usually filled with mischief and optimism, but at last his serious demeanor melted away into a much more characteristic smile.

"I'll make you a deal," said Michelangelo.

Raphael eyed his brother curiously. "A deal?"

"I promise to always let you protect me, if you promise to always let me protect you," said Mikey as he wriggled his left arm free, holding it out for his brother to shake. "Deal?"

After glancing down briefly at the extended hand with a cocked eye ridge, Raph leveled a dry stare back at Mikey's face. The young turtle's smile faded momentarily before he too looked down at his own hand and realized which one he had extended. He gave a nervous laugh as he quickly switched, offering the opposite to Raph's uninjured right hand.

The dull gaze remained on the older turtle's face for a moment more before a small smile began tugging at the corners of his mouth. Letting out a soft sigh, he adjusted his position in the sand and gingerly reached out to take the offered hand, giving it a light squeeze.

"Deal," he said, looking his brother in the eye. Receiving a bright grin in response, he smirked. "Now let's get out of here."

"On it!" said Mikey eagerly as he snatched the phone back up, ready to call his other siblings for a rescue. His face quickly fell, however, as he studied the small screen. "Aw, man!" he whined with a pout.

"Don't tell me," said Raph flatly, "no signal."

"Yup."

A heavy sigh escaped from his lungs as his head fell into the soft sand. "Of course not," he mumbled.

"Let's not give up," said Mikey cheerfully, "Maybe if we both tried to lift this bridge thing up, we could get it off of us."

Not bothering to lift his head, Raph grit his teeth, trying to hide just how painful that idea sounded. Between his pinned foot, raw arm, and building headache, he wasn't sure he was capable of lifting so much as his own body up off the ground, let alone a heavy, wooden bridge.

"I can't do this alone. It's worth a shot, don't ya think?" coaxed Mikey. He paused, waiting for an answer, but when none came, he grew impatient. "Come on, Raph. Whaddya say?"

Glancing up at Mikey's optimistic face, Raph found himself unable to dismiss the idea completely. With a loud groan, he carefully adjusted his position so that the palm of his right hand was laying in the sand. Taking in a deep breath before letting it go slowly, his eyes locked with his brother's. "Let's do this."

"Alright!" said Mikey enthusiastically as he mimicked Raph's position, placing both palms down in the sand. When he felt he was ready, he looked up at his brother and waited for the go ahead, not wanting to rush the injured turtle.

"Alright," said Raph at last, his heart already pounding in his chest, "On the count of three. One... two... three!"

With a loud grunt, he pushed against the sand, raising his back until his shell touched the fallen bridge. Using as much strength as he could muster, he did his best to force the wooden beams off of them, but it was simply too heavy.

"Keep trying," said Mikey through clenched teeth, "We can - do this!"

Raph drew in a sharp breath and squeezed his eyes shut. The roof of their cramped prison was refusing to budge, and he could feel his body growing weaker by the second. Sweat was beginning to pour down his face, and his arm was already shaking from the exertion.

"Come on," cheered on Mikey before abruptly switching to an attempt at an English accent, "'What is the point - of all those push ups - if you can't even lift - a bloody log?'"

Raph groaned, wishing he could slap his brother over the head. "If you've got enough energy - to throw movie quotes at me - you're not pushing hard enough."

Mikey managed a strained grin. "Sorry," he said, "Couldn't pass it up."

Opening his eyes, Raphael looked down at his wobbly arm. He knew he wouldn't last much longer at this rate. Steeling his jaw, he gingerly placed the palm of his wounded arm on the ground next to the other. With an air of sheer determination, he pushed, and, unable to hold it back, the injured turtle cried out in pain.

"Raph!" came Mikey's worried cry. But a different sound caught the weary turtle's attention; it was the soft groaning and scraping of wood moving against wood.

Raph's breaths were getting more and more ragged, but the prospect of freedom spurred him on. He called on every ounce of strength he had left, continuing to push with a loud yell. His arms felt like they were on fire, but at last the bridge began to shift under the pressure.

Spots had started dancing in front of his eyes. He was afraid he might pass out at any moment, but before his mind could even register what was happening, the weight was being lifted off of his shoulders. A thunderous crash alerted him to the fact that someone had shoved the bridge aside, and they were at last free. Fighting to remain conscious, he fell into the soft sand in an exhausted heap, gasping for breath.

"Raph! And Mikey!"

With a huge grin, the youngest turtle toppled onto his back and tiredly gazed into the brown eyes of their savior. "Donnie!" he cried, panting. "It's so good to see you, dude!"

The turtle in question was hunched over, leaning heavily against his bo to keep himself from toppling over. "You're telling me!" he said, panting, "First we couldn't find your signal at all, and then we were tracking Raph's and it suddenly disappeared. I'm just glad I saw this pile of debris start moving. Are you guys alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine, but Raph's hurt real bad," replied Mikey anxiously as he craned his neck toward his collapsed sibling.

"Let me see," said Donnie as he carefully knelt down to inspect his older brother's injuries, his face serious. His eyes were instantly drawn to the newly opened wounds on his arm. He frowned. "What on earth did you do to your arm?"

Still struggling to get his breathing under control, Raph groaned. "Long story," he said weakly. He wanted to roll over so he could face his disapproving brother before the pain in his leg reminded him that it would be impossible. Instead he simply glanced up at Donnie. "Any chance you can get this thing off my foot?"

Turning his attention toward Raph's legs, Donatello stood and walked behind his immobile brother, finding the beam in question. Studying it carefully for a second, he reached down to grab one of the ends and heaved. While the single beam was much lighter than the bridge had been, this time he didn't have his brothers helping to push from below. For a moment he struggled to pull it off, but Mikey quickly jumped to his feet and hurried to the other end. Between the two of them, they were able to remove the thick piece of wood, letting it fall to the ground with a crash. Raph hissed in pain.

"Just hold still for a sec while I check it out," said Donnie as he bent down to examine his brother's foot. "It's really swollen. Can you move it at all?"

Raph grit his teeth as he did as he was told, trying to ignore the pain.

"Well, that's a good sign." The tall turtle reached down to gently touch it, looking slightly relieved as he did so. "I don't feel any broken bones, either. You're lucky; I think it might just be a sprain."

Donnie got to his feet once more and carefully stepped over toward Raph's good arm. Reaching down to pull him up, he helped the battered turtle to his knees.

"We've got to get you back to the Shellraiser," he said firmly. He hoisted Raph up with a grunt, practically dragging the muscular turtle to his feet, grateful that his brother was able to put even the lightest amount of pressure on his injured foot.

"Wait," said Mikey, "Where's Leo?"

Once Raph was steady, Donnie turned to his younger sibling. "When Leo and I got here, we saw Slash, but we didn't see either of you. Knowing that Raph's T-phone signal had last come from this area, Leo lured Slash away while I began searching the area for you guys."

"Leo went after Slash alone?" said Mikey, eyes wide. "We gotta help him!"

"He'll be fine for now," said Donnie reassuringly, "Between the injuries Slash sustained from you two and the surprise attack he took from Leo, he wasn't exactly in the best of shape. He was pretty angry, though, so we should hurry and get Raph back to the Shellraiser so you and I can back him up."

With a confirming nod from his younger brother, Donnie tried to help Raph along, but the short turtle resisted and stood his ground, earning confused looks from his siblings.

"I'm coming too," said Raph stubbornly, trying to force his voice to sound commanding in his weakened state.

Donnie looked just about ready to explode. "What!?" he exclaimed, "No, Raph, you are not 'coming too'! You are in no condition - "

"Look, you guys wanna protect me? Fine. But I'm still gonna protect you too," he said defiantly, ignoring the indignation on his brother's face at being cut off. "There's no way I'm going to let you go off to fight Slash without me."

Out of the corner of his eye, Raph caught Mikey's knowing smirk. This may not have been what his little brother had had in mind when making their deal earlier, but at least he wasn't protesting his involvement despite his current condition.

Donnie, on the other hand, was glaring daggers at his bullheaded older brother. "Well, it doesn't matter," he huffed, realizing that at this point there was no changing his mind. "We have to go back to the Shellraiser anyway in order to drop off the mutagen."

"Mutagen?" asked Mikey.

"Leo and I found it in a trash can a few blocks away from the park," explained Donnie, "I left it near the entrance of the park when I went looking for you guys. Since I've got Raph, Mikey, could you - "

"Donnie!" cried the youngest turtle suddenly, interrupting his brother and causing both of his siblings to jump slightly. Mikey threw both of his arms in the air, a huge grin on his face. "You're a genius!"

Both Raphael and Donatello paused and blinked in confusion, sharing a glance before staring at their little brother, curious as to what exactly was going on in that head of his.

"I-I am?" stammered Donnie at last. He then cleared his throat, holding his head high. "Well, I mean, I _know_ I am, but - "

"No sweat, guys," said Mikey with an evil smirk, rubbing his hands together deviously, "Just leave it to me. I've got the perfect plan."

* * *

><p>AN: Well, that was certainly longer than expected. Didn't feel right cutting it in half, though. And as always, critics and grammar police appreciated!


End file.
